"The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them
as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law"(Mark
1:22, NIV).

Jesus could have flashed bright beams
of light on the darkest mysteries of science, but He would not spare a moment
from teaching the knowledge of the science of salvation. His time, His knowledge,
His faculties, His life itself, were appreciated only as the means of working
out the salvation of the souls of men."Ellen G. White, Mind, Character,
and Personality, vol. 1, p. 245.

There is a danger that in talking about the wisdom of His teachings (as in
the title of this week's lesson), we may not distinguish enough between Jesus
and other (so-called) wise teachers across the centuries. Jesus' teachings
were not simply wise. They contained, in addition, a qualitative element
that essentially distinguished them from everything that preceded or has
since followed. There was about them a certain finality, a conclusiveness
not found elsewhere. In other words, this was God talking in human flesh.
However much the people did not know about the true identity of Christ,
they still could tell there was something unique about Him and what He said.
"The crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had
authority."
(Matt.
7:28, 29, NIV).

Year after year hundreds of thousands of sermons make their way into the
realm of oblivion. Some are remembered for a while, then forgotten. What
would it take to have a particular sermon not only remembered and quoted
for two thousand years, but even identified by the place of its delivery?
Such is the Sermon on the Mount.

During the First World War, the Society of Friends printed The Sermon
on the Mount as a separate pamphlet, without commentary, for distribution
among the allied forces. But both the British and French governments forbade
its distribution among their troops. After all, a sermon telling people to
love their enemies was not exactly what you wanted men on the front lines
in a war to be reading!

Read
through the Beatitudes
(Matt.
5:3-12). Which aspects do you find most meaningful for the experiences
you are going through right now?

In the Beatitudes some elements merely describe the condition in which we
may find ourselves. The person who "mourns," for instance, does not seek
that state. But meekness (or better, humility) we should seek; as the prophet
says: "Seek righteousness, seek humility [meekness]"
(Zeph.
2:3, NIV). Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is not a state
natural to us humans, nor can we manufacture it. But we are admonished to
seek after it.

Give
a brief summary of the following teachings that appear
(among others) in the rest of the sermon:

As you reflect on the Beatitudes and the rest of the sermon, which
aspects do you find most pointed? Which most keenly cuts across your accustomed
ways, your own cultural norms? What changes do you need to make in order
to be more in harmony with these words from God?

MONDAY

April 21

What He Taught About God

Into a world dark with misunderstanding about the person and character of
God, Jesus came to set things straight, by His life and by His word. Coming
from the very essence of God, He brought a revelation of God that could not
be improved upon. In the past, the prophets had spoken about God; but now,
"in these last days," God was speaking "by his Son . . . through whom he
made the universe"
(Heb.
1:1, 2, NIV). Through Jesus, in other words, we have the ultimate
disclosure of the Supreme Being.

A critical test of the decency of any society, ancient or modern, is the
value it places upon the most vulnerable of its members; and there is none
more vulnerable than children. Jesus' regard for these tender ones must have
come as a breath of fresh air to those poor mothers two thousand years ago
when He vigorously defended their children's right of access to Him, when
He made time in His hectic calendar for these tiny tots, time to touch them
and to bless them.

God is like that, Jesus' action said. He cares for the children and, by
extension, all who are vulnerable and exploited. He is the God of the underdog.
As He sat there with these little ones looking into His face, Jesus must
have thought of what we call "the Slaughter of the Innocents" by Herod on
account of Him
(Matt.
2:16-18), and the bloody edict of an ancient pharaoh against all
Jewish male infants
(Exod.
1:15, 16). Jesus came to model a God who was the complete antithesis
of these murderous psychopaths.

From what you have read above, what picture of God does Jesus present?
How have you experienced these aspects of God's character yourself? Even
more important, how well do you reflect those aspects of His character in
your own life?

Of all the words that we might associate with Jesus, forgiveness has to be
right there among the top. Jesus and forgiveness go together. Amid the
excruciating agony of the cross, and as soldiers and people derided and abused
Him, the heartrending words stumbled out through quivering lips: "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"
(Luke
23:34, NIV). And in the Sermon on the Mount He went so far as to
say that if we do not forgive those who offend us, then we should not expect
God to forgive our offenses against Him
(Matt.
6: 12,14,15).

The
wonderful statements about forgiveness notwithstanding,
what cautionary, balancing factors do we find in the following
passages?
(Matt.
12:31, 32;
18:6;
Mark
14:21).

In
Mark
14:21, Jesus uttered a woe upon the "man who betrays the Son of Man."
But suppose that man were to confess and repent? In this connection, contrast
the actions of Judas and Peter following their separate betrayals of Jesus.
After witnessing Jesus' condemnation by those who had arrested Him, Judas,
"seized with remorse," returned the betrayal money to the authorities; and
his words seemed most appropriate: "I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent
blood"
(Matt.
27:3, 4, NIV). In contrast to Judas' public display of regret, Peter's
tears of penitence were shed in silence; nor did he return to Caiaphas' judgment
hall to make amends for his shameful betrayal. Yet, the one was condemned,
the other forgiven. What was the crucial difference?

How are we to understand forgiveness in a practical sense? For instance,
a woman can forgive a husband who beats her, but does forgiveness mean leaving
oneself vulnerable to more abuse? How can we forgive while at the same time
be wise and prudent enough to protect ourselves and others from those who
have violated our trust?

In a 1995 survey, some athletes were asked the following question: If there
was a drug you could take that would guarantee you'd receive a gold medal
at the Olympics but that would kill you in five years, would you take it?
More than 50 percent said yes. It is a commentary on the lure of fame and
power on contemporary society. To be "in front of the camera," to hold millions
drooling in the palm of our hand, that is the rage of the twenty-first century.

And that same general spirit can invade the church, if we do not remain
constantly on guard. The lust for power over others (the drive to be in control,
the hunger for the first place) has not diminished with the passing of the
years.

Study
the following passages in the context of this insatiable
struggle for the top:

1
Pet. 5:1-4The harsh events of history sometimes have sent proud dictators scrambling
penniless among refugees, or cowering in solitary confinement, taking orders
from third-class prison wardens. There even have been times when a monarch
temporarily gives up the throne to make common lot with the marginalized
members of society. But all these cases put together, voluntary or coerced,
pale in comparison with the magnitude of the condescension we see in Christ.
He was "in very nature God," Paul says; that is God of the universe we
are talking about here! "But [He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature
of a servant, being made in human likeness." Descending further yet, "he
humbled himself and became obedient to deatheven death on a cross!"
(Phil.
2:5-8, NIV).

In light of the Cross, in light of the amazing condescension of the
Son of God, why should all forms of self-exaltation be brought to shame?
How can we protect ourselves from this subtle yet very dangerous form of
self-deception?

THURSDAY

April 24

What He Taught About Graceand
Faith

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of Godnot by works"
(Eph.
2:8, 9, NIV). The words are from the apostle Paul as he reflected
on the Christian message of salvation, which he expressed differently than
Jesus did. In fact, one might be tempted to ask whether Jesus believed in
righteousness by faith. But to ask that question is to grossly misunderstand
both Paul and Jesus. Jesus' approach to teaching about grace seemed at times
to go in a different direction; one reason, incidentally, that we should
not be too legalistic with one another over the exact formulas we each use
to describe God's marvelous act of grace in Jesus, and our response to it.

Jesus came as the epitome of grace. He was grace personified. To encounter
Him was to encounter grace. "We have seen his glory," John wrote, "the glory
of the One and Only, . . . full of grace and truth"
(John
1:14, NIV).

In
the following passages, what is Jesus teaching about
grace and faith?

From these passages, we learn something of the many ways Jesus taught about
grace, through His parables and through the object lessons of His own life.
How could Peter ever forget his utter helplessness in the face of the deadly
elements that surrounded him that night on the lake? His only recourse was
to cry out to a Power beyond himself. And instantly the response was there!
No delay. No need for penance. No complicated formula or requirement. Just
three words, coming naturally from his extreme desperation: "Lord, save me!"
(Matt.
14:30, NIV). And immediately the hand of Jesus was on him. That is
grace.

Of the various accounts listed above, which one speaks to you most powerfully
of God's grace? Having received such grace yourself, how can you be more
willing to give it to others just as undeserving as yourself?

FRIDAY

April 25

Further
Study:

According to historian Huston Smith, Jesus' teachings "may be the most
repeated in history. 'Love your neighbor as yourself. What you would like
people to do to you, do to them. Come unto me, all you that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.' Most of the time, though, he told stories:
of buried treasure, of sowers who went out to sow, of pearl merchants, of
a good Samaritan. People who heard these stories were moved to exclaim,
'This man speaks with authority. Never spoke man thus!' . . . The
most impressive thing about the teachings of Jesus is not that he taught
them but that he appears to have lived them. From the accounts that we have,
his entire life was one of humility, self-giving, and love that sought not
its own. The supreme evidence of his humility is that it is impossible to
discover precisely what Jesus thought of himself. He wasn't concerned with
that. He was concerned with what people thought of God. . . . We have seen
that he ignored the barriers that mores erected between people. He loved
children. He hated injustice, and perhaps hated hypocrisy even more because
it hid people from themselves."The Illustrated World's Religions,
pp. 212, 213.

Discussion
Questions:

Many issues that have concerned us in recent times Jesus
never touched (drug abuse, health reform, homosexuality, slavery, cloning,
abortion, etc.). What conclusions should we draw from these omissions? What
conclusions should we not draw?

What role might Jesus' teaching on forgiveness play in issues of
international conflict today? How can Christians bring that teaching to bear
upon the resolution of issues in their homes, churches, and communities?
When is forgiveness not the answer to the particular problems faced by nations
and individuals, or is it always the answer?

Notwithstanding its universal appeal, the Sermon on the Mount often
is ignored when we confront the real problems of life. Why do you think this
is so? And how is it in your own life? In what ways could you consciously
try to apply these principles in your own walk with the Lord?

I
N S I D E
Story

The Sidetracked Shuttle

by Homer TrecartinPastor Dave Weigley boarded the airport shuttle and sat down, eager
to relax a little before his meetings. He thought of the evangelistic meetings
he had held in this Florida city a year earlier and wondered how the new
members were doing. And what about the people who had come to the meetings
but did not make a decision to follow Jesus?

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice. "Please, just drop me off
on your way to the hotel." Grudgingly the driver agreed to take the woman
to her home.

The shuttle bus wound through traffic and stopped in front of a familiar-looking
block of apartments. Pastor Weigley jumped up to help the woman with her
bag. "Do you live here?" he asked.

"Yes," the woman said. Excited, Pastor Weigley asked if a certain woman still
lived there. The woman eyed him and slowly answered, "Yes, she still lives
there."

The shuttle door closed, and Pastor Weigley sat down. This has to be more
than coincidence, he thought. What does God want me to do?

The woman he asked about had attended the meetings he had held, but in spite
of many visits and prayers, she had not given her heart to Christ. Now God
had led him back to her apartment complex. Weigley promised God that he would
visit the woman before leaving town.

A few days later Weigley returned to the apartment where the woman lived.
As he climbed the stairs he thought, How do I greet someone whose name I
don't remember? He knocked on the door, but heard nothing from inside. As
he turned to leave, the door opened and the woman exclaimed, "Well, Pastor
Weigley. Please come in."

He entered and found the woman had company-a friend and another pastor who
Weigley recognized. The women were as surprised as he was. Pastor Weigley
told the others about his experience on the shuttle bus. The other pastor
explained that he had come to apologize for an incident that had happened
years earlier.

The two pastors prayed and invited the women to give their hearts to Jesus.
With tears in her eyes, the woman who had attended the meetings knelt and
surrendered to Christ. This woman has since been baptized, in part because
two pastors had followed the Holy Spirit's leading and found a wanderer ready
to come home.

DAVE WEIGLEY is president of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists in Maryland, U.S.A. Homer Trecartin is planning director for the
Office of Adventist Mission at the General Conference.